Why John Harbaugh Believes Isaiah Likely is a Key to Jaxson Dart’s Success

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh knows what he’s getting in tight end Isaiah Likely.

Harbaugh was the Ravens' head coach when Baltimore drafted the tall, athletic tight end in the fourth round of the 2022 draft.

Though Likely eventually took a back seat to fellow tight end Mark Andrews in the Ravens offense, it wasn't because of any disenchantment the coaches had with Likely.

"Isaiah's a guy that, you know, I coach personally, a lot of the coaches on our staff that coach personally,” Harbaugh told reporters at the NFL league meetings last week.

“He's gonna bring a lot to the table. He's a talented football player. He's a playmaking football player. He's gonna make plays for us."

Likely is one of several players that Harbaugh and the Giants brought in to help second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart advance in his development.

And although Likely was not the featured receiver in the Ravens offense–of his 194 pass targets, he was targeted just 36 times last year in 14 games, a career-low–Harbaugh is banking on there being an instant connection between Dart and the soon-to-be 26-year-old tight end.

"I think Jaxson's gonna really like him, running the routes, and, you know, being in his line of vision–he's got a big catch radius,” Harbaugh gushed.

“He can, he can make plays after he makes a catch, and he makes people miss. He can run people over. He's a very good perimeter blocker. You'll see that that'll be good for our run game."

Why Harbaugh believes Likely is ready for an increased role

To look at Likely’s career stats, one would probably define them as “pedestrian.” He has likely never caught more than 477 yards, but in 2024, the year he also had a career-high six touchdown catches, he played in a career-high 60% of his snaps.

But Harbaugh is convinced there is a lot more in Likely’s game waiting to be drawn out and that he’s fully capable of a much bigger role in the Giants’ offense.

"I know how he plays the game,” he said. “ So you try to kind of create a vision for a player. What do you think they're capable of doing? And one thing that we have always tried to do is see what players can do.

"When you see a player do it every day, you've got a pretty good idea what he's capable of. So I'm certain he's gonna be able to put up the numbers. You're talking about the stats. That wasn't part of the thing in Baltimore, just 'cause of the, the supporting cast, so to speak."

What does Likely’s presence mean for Theo Johnson?

New York Giants tight end Theo Johnson will be just as much a part of the teams offense this season. | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Likely's introduction to the offense could mean a smaller role in the passing offense for third-year pro Theo Johnson, who has started 26 games for the Giants since he was chosen in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Johnson’s first two seasons in the NFL have been tainted by dropped passes. According to PFF data, Johnson’s 12 drops tie him for first among tight ends with Zach Ertz of Washington for the most drops over that two-year span, whereas Likely has two drops over that same period.

But Likely's arrival doesn't mean the end of Johnson’s opportunities in the passing game, not if the history of the Ravens being among the top five teams in running the most plays in 12-personnel (one running back, two tight ends) repeats itself.

"It's gonna be big here,” Harbaugh promised. “Theo is a big part of that, too. And you're gonna have to put two tight ends out there that are pretty special, very talented players together. It's exciting."

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